Here an officer is (finally) getting in trouble for beating someone, but the other three officers on the scene aren't receiving any reprimand for letting it happen or threatening the law-abiding citizen who recorded the interaction (both threatening to take their phone and saying the (faced down and tased) man would spit on him and give him Aids). It's like three steps forwards two and a half steps back.

Here we just "found out" that cams haven't been turned on more than like 10% of the time.

Fuck the police.

Yeah the fact they are able to turn them on and off at will is now coming into question. Luckily they actually do record all the time and retain 30 seconds prior to activation. Which was enough time to show them stashing drugs then later finding them. One officer even yells, "You werent supposed to turn yours on yet!"

Most people in Baltimore are afraid of having more riots over court cases like this. With all thats going on, and the trend, things dont look to good.

I have my reservations about cameras, and one reason is because they can be controlled by the people using them. If they're off 90% of the time? They're not doing anything. If they can just happen not to be turned on, then an officer who commits police brutality can use that as an excuse and get a slap on the wrist for breaking protocol. The rules for cameras ought to be transparent, consistent, and inured against misuse. Then there's the fact that two people can watch the same footage and one person will see brutality or corruption and the other will see justified force or nothing.

So the cameras? Good idea, sometimes works (the corruption was found), lots of issues to iron out. And that's even before the whole issue of public surveillance. Or bystander effects.

By bystander effects do you mean issues of using the footage in the courtroom, where the jury puts themselves in the officer's shoes and thinks "well *I* would be afraid" even though that's very fraught both because of racism and also because well, officers (in theory*) are supposed to be trained to deal with harder situations than your average juror is?

Planting drugs is one thing. When I was actually living in the city the cops would sometimes do what is called a "sweep." They would just pick a spot and arrest anyone walking by who didnt have I.D. Since its mostly done in residential areas, half the neighborhood would be in bookings. Its one of the most unconstitutional things Ive ever experienced twice.

While caught in one, I spoke to one of the officers, "I only live 2 blocks away, do you take I.D. when you walk your dog?. He replied, "I dont need to."

This among several other common practices such as unexpectedly slamming people, taking misguided youth to the cemetary and beating them then leaving them there.

Ive been out of the inner city for about 9 years now but Im sure pretty much all that stuff and more still goes on.